Hope this is the right forum for this. I am a reg due for posting soon and am looking at my options. I have been recommended to instruct, and one option that was suggested to me was a PSI post. No-one from my unit has much of an idea as to the basic requirements of this job. I'm trying to cast my net wide for information on this, so I was wondering

What is the day to day work?
What are the basic training & military education requirements?
What are the rank ranges?
Are PSIs still deployable while in post?
How long are the engagements?

I work in a tri-service environment and my admin staff/XO don't really have any solid answers for me, so any info on the job would be useful.

some people enjoy their time with the TA. i personally havent. What i would say is that you have to be open minded its certainly a different work ethos, certainly to what i was previously used too. i have managed to bail after a yr.

Remember Your guys are Volunteers and they don't have to turn in. If you make it interesting for them to be there you should find a great deal of support from the unit you are attached to if it is well led.

Get stuck in on training nights and teach = respect, if the guys see you as a paper shuffler who doesn't get amongst the lads you may not get as easy a ride.

Thanks for the replies all. Working the weekends is no drama - I work irregular shift patterns anyway, which includes most weekends.

My military mindset took a severe bashing when I transferred from the infantry to the QAs. One of the reasons that I'm considering this posting (believe it or not) is so that I can be around people who enjoy the military side of life again instead of seeing it as an inconvenience. This military ethos is lacking in my current work place.

some people enjoy their time with the TA. i personally havent. What i would say is that you have to be open minded its certainly a different work ethos, certainly to what i was previously used too. i have managed to bail after a yr.

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why? all the sh1t hot psi's i know have enjoyed their postings, and the w@nk ones didnt. thankfully there wasnt many w@nk ones. i guess your one of the latter

some people enjoy their time with the TA. i personally havent. What i would say is that you have to be open minded its certainly a different work ethos, certainly to what i was previously used too. i have managed to bail after a yr.

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why? all the sh1t hot psi's i know have enjoyed their postings, and the w@nk ones didnt. thankfully there wasnt many w@nk ones. i guess your one of the latter

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If I remember correctly HH sent me a number of PM's regarding TA assistance on exercises (which I passed on to chain of command and failed to hear anything else). The idea was an excellent use of the TA, I reckon soldiers in my then unit would have really enjoyed the weekend(s), not something I'd expect from a w@nk PSI.

p.s. Lets not let this drop to a PSI/TA bashing thread. Perception of the TA/PSI's varies considerably between corps. Many that want to moan are actually moaning about their own cap badge or their in the wrong unit/rank

some people enjoy their time with the TA. i personally havent. What i would say is that you have to be open minded its certainly a different work ethos, certainly to what i was previously used too. i have managed to bail after a yr.

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why? all the sh1t hot psi's i know have enjoyed their postings, and the w@nk ones didnt. thankfully there wasnt many w@nk ones. i guess your one of the latter

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If I remember correctly HH sent me a number of PM's regarding TA assistance on exercises (which I passed on to chain of command and failed to hear anything else). The idea was an excellent use of the TA, I reckon soldiers in my then unit would have really enjoyed the weekend(s), not something I'd expect from a w@nk PSI.

p.s. Lets not let this drop to a PSI/TA bashing thread. Perception of the TA/PSI's varies considerably between corps. Many that want to moan are actually moaning about their own cap badge or their in the wrong unit/rank

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he bailed in ayear or so he says that means 6 months in he requested a rtu not something i'd come to expect from a sh1t hot on either. im not nocking him as a soldier, im sure hes very good. but some individuals cant rise to the challenge or realise its not for them, these are usually the latter

I'd be a bit careful about this. It depends on the unit and PSI. We've had a number deployed both with mobilized sub-units (and smaller groups) and 'borrowed' back for short tours with their parent regt. That said the later is because that have shortage skills/qualifications/experience.

he bailed in ayear or so he says that means 6 months in he requested a rtu not something i'd come to expect from a sh1t hot on either.

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Or if you didn't like your job you wouldn't get a new one. I have met a PSI who left after a year because it was stopping him getting his WO1, well I was suprised he got to SSgt.
Am I also a crap SNCO because I transfered because my job was wnak, yes I did run away from the problems but I am still trying to help soldiers in that unit.

Im a CPL PSi and believe me it can be hard work, they think of it as a club and when you try to get work out of them they look at you as if you are asking them to jump off a cliff, the officers look at you as if your talking crap and that you dont have a clue what your on about. they think they know everything after doing 1 op tour and numerous weekends.
but on the good side there are some good lads and lass's there that want to learn from the regs and are a good laugh. only you can make the choice as to what you want to do

So, any PSI who doesn't enjoy their time with the TA or who opts to move on early must be crap according to Squigeypie? What a bone comment! I'm ex-TA and now reg, considering asking for a tour as a PSI; I believe it would suit me but having experience of the TA mindset, I can see why it wouldn't suit others.